#first peoples buffalo jump

[wavernot4love]

time 4 yet another wavernot4love gig recap, gloomtown rochester edition (aka my seventh time seeing idkhow, fourth in rochester, & third at the montage music hall, the latter two a feat i cannot say for many bands) (note this was typed primarily at three am last night so once again there is probably incoherent rambling):

- gonna start this off with this clip of sunnyside since 1. i think that is becoming my favorite song off gloom division and 2. the ending gives me a chuckle

- boring live finally came back 2 me after four long years!!!!

- (dallon neurodivergency mention when talking about the themes of gloom division) (crowd erupts in cheers)

- return of the mormon tabernacle choir comparison arrived post- a letter, with dallon saying the next song (what love) wasn't something they tell you about in church, in typical cheeky fashion

- somewhat related, bro was wearing a gold sparkly grandma cardigan and randomly ripped it off and threw it CLEAN through the doorway of the like, green room at montage mid- what love. speaking of he said people at the vip earlier apparently planned his outfit

- dallon straight up grabbed a kid by the hand mid song and yanked them out of the crowd & onstage so they could do a lil jig together? good for them!!!

- going to leave the dallon quote "this isn't a frat house!" here w/o context

- someone handed him a giant american flag with a picture of him printed on it. god bless america

- ALL OF THE BRACELETS/KEYCHAINS WENT? after the show maybe 40 of us camped outside in case dallon came out and at one point someone who had reached out about them came over & so did a BUNCH of other folks who realized there were, in fact, bracelets. my cousin referred to it as the "meet & greet" since there were barricades set up along the sidewalk which gave me a bit of a laugh. guess i'm making more for buffalo yippee!!!! possibly may make stickers too later if i have time. i'll probably post em, but otherwise look for the person w curly hair & a baggy black thought reform hoodie w bracelets on a carabiner!

- so while we were waiting my cousin and i were sat RIGHT next to the main entrance of montage, right? basically the start of a sort of line of people sat down going down the sidewalk.

anyways, at one point only maybe 45 minutes after the show, out of said main entrance strolls dallon. collective whiplash moment as bro took one look, stopped dead in his tracks, we all collectively looked at each other like

and dallon (who i think was truly surprised so many of us were out waiting in the cold) goes, lightheartedly but genuinely, "what are you guys doing all out here? it's freezing outside!"

and then proceeds to kinda frolick around for a couple minutes laughing w people or whatever. we didn't really approach him since i think he was a bit overwhelmed but it was still just a funny moment and we'll see what happens in buffalo! maybe less people will hang after so it'll be less intimidating for him.

- i do feel the need to mention i heard this one kid we were talking to bring up video games to him & dallon said he's not a huge video games person he just plays the last of us & spiderman really which is funny to me but fitting

- i did bring my point & shoot so once i edit those maybe i'll post some!

anyways, stoked on tomorrow's show yay!!!

[1863-project]

(video and tweet source)

THE HANSHIN TIGERS HAVE BROKEN THE CURSE OF THE COLONEL!

For the people who don't know, in 1985, the Hanshin Tigers won their first (and at the time, only) Japan Series victory. Traditionally, they've been hard luck losers, and they're often compared to the Red Sox in the sense of their being overshadowed by the Yomiuri Giants, who, like the Yankees, have won more championships than any other team in their league.

When they won, fans resembling the players on the team were jumping into the Dotonbori Canal in Osaka - the fans would yell out a player's name, and a fan who looked like them would jump in. The problem was when they got to Randy Bass, who none of the Japanese fans looked like. They needed to find something resembling him and selected a statue of Colonel Sanders, who was white and had a beard like Bass, and threw it into the canal.

Colonel Sanders sank underwater, and the Hanshin Tigers did...horribly after that, usually coming in last in the league or close to it, to the point where the team was considered cursed by his presence in the canal. The team made the Japan Series a few times after that in the 2000s and once in the 2010s, but lost each time.

In 2009, the Colonel was located and recovered from the Dotonbori Canal, save for his left hand and his glasses. He's now at a location near Koshien Stadium, where the Tigers play their home games (and where the famed national high school baseball championships are played), and can be viewed there to this day.

Fans were, however, not convinced that they had earned the Colonel's forgiveness, since his hand and glasses were missing. In the image above, he's been given some replacement glasses, but he still lacks a left hand.

This year, Hanshin beat the Orix Buffaloes, a team that plays roughly 20 minutes away by train in Nishinomiya, 4-3 in a seven-game series. The curse is thus considered broken...so the fans did what they do best, and threw a fan dressed like Colonel Sanders into the Dotonbori Canal.

For years, this has been my favorite baseball story, and I'm so happy that I was alive to see it seen all the way through. Congratulations, Hanshin fans!

[apoemaday]

To Be of Use

by Marge Piercy

The people I love best jump into work head first without dallying in the shadows and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight. They seem to become natives of that element, the black sleek heads of seals bouncing like half-submerged balls. I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again. I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest and work in a row and pass the bags along, who are not parlor generals and field deserters but move in a common rhythm when the food must come in or the fire be put out. The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust. But the thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident. Greek amphoras for wine or oil, Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums but you know they were made to be used. The pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real.

[letsgetrowdy43]

In a sea of people—

Quinn Hughes x reader

Request: Can we get Quinn’s gf gets hurt ( bruised cheek, bloody nose, or getting pushed while watching a Canuck’s game by a crazy fan from the opposing team) resulting in Canuck’s fan knowing who she is… trying to defend her and it results in a brawl. And Quinn gets super worried trying to get to you. (I changed it a little bit, sorry for that)

!! In this we are going to pretend Canucks in the future are Playoff contenders (consider this me manifesting) !!

Canucks fans were pretty mild when it came to rowdy crowds but the moment the boys began their playoff push it was as if a switch was flipped. This was the game that decided their fate if they stopped Buffalo from receiving a single point in regulation then they would clinch a wild-card position, making their first playoff appearance since the bubble.

Quinn's long-term girlfriend sat in the crowd alongside her best friend, Anna, opting out of a reserved box, wanting to get the full experience, a few rows away from the glass.

It had all been calm, the crowd on the edge of their seats as the boys on the ice fought for their lives, the score was 1-0 in favour of the Canucks, and the crowd was anxiously waiting. There were five minutes remaining in regulation, and you could see the Sabre's beginning to grow agitated, as well as the Canucks starting to grow restless at the thought that they could possibly be in the playoffs, as long at they just held down the fort for just five more minutes.

One of Buffalo's power forwards took a slap shot right at Demko, resulting in Quinn throwing his entire body in front of the net and taking the shot right in the ribs causing the entire crowd to hop up and cheer.

Y/n on the other hand stood up hand over her mouth, "Did he get up, I can't see him?" she said slightly panicked unable to see him over the giant of a man standing in front of her, blocking the view of her possibly injured boyfriend. Anna who sat next to her grinned at the panic in her best friend's voice, "he's fine Y/n, he's already up and they're doing a faceoff," she mused, nudging the relived girl in the ribs as everyone around them began to sit back in their seats.

A minute was left on the clock and Demmer was on shut-out watch, Y/n had practically bitten all of her nails off as she watched the timer count down to ten seconds, the Canucks still in possession of the puck, passing it back and forth between each other and they waited out the buzzer. Finally, the final buzzer sounded, meaning that the boys had done it, they were in the playoffs.

Y/n and Anna jumped to their feet, holding each other and jumping as they squealed. "Oh my god, you know what this means?" Anna asked as she grinned. "What?" "You get one of those wag jacket thingys," Y/n's jaw dropped as her friend grinned.

That's when all hell broke loose, the crowd was up and in a frenzy, celebrating and screaming as the team made a circle on the ice to give a thank-you speech to the fans. Y/n had been trying to listen as her boyfriend took the mic and skated to middle ice to give the end-of-season speech.

The people surrounding the girls were very much hammered and very much rowdy, the guy next to Anna rammed right into her and knocked the much smaller girls onto the ground. The man behind them started arguing with the guy who pushed them over, "Watch what you're doing!" he yelled out catching the guy's attention, and the two of them got into a verbal fight that soon turned a little physical.

The two girls laughed as they stood up off the ground, "that's gonna leave a bruise," Anna joked as she ran over the tender spot on her hip, "oh fuck, Y/n," she said pulling her friend up off the floor to examine the cut that spread across her cheek, and a little too close to her eye. "I caught the arm of the chair with my eye," she said teary-eyed as she tried to blink away the tears, laughing at how stupid they both must've looked.

Her friend tried to get out of the aisle to get the cut cleaned up but they were stuck surrounded by drunk fans either cheering or fighting in the crowd.

Quinn was in the midst of his speech when he saw an uproar in the section where Y/n had been sitting, his face breaking out into a look of confusion and concern as he turned to the bench full of officials to get the attention of the staff, trying to direct it to the mob-like crowd that was unfolding. The words of his practised speech stopped as he got distracted, looking for his girlfriend in the crowd, "Is someone not dealing with that?" he asked the bench into the mic to get his point across. He received a stern look as he looked back at the rest of the crowd, "anyways, thank you for an amazing season full of support, It's an honour to play for you guys, and we will continue that honour into the playoff, thank you!" he smiled as he and the others skated towards the bench.

His smile fell as he was pulled aside by one of the officials, "Do you realize what you just did there?" "Tried to create a safe environment," he feigned innocence with a shrug as he walked to the dressing room in search of his phone to call his girlfriend.

The two girls sat calmly in the midst of the commotion, laughing as they watched Quinn on the jumbotron, a worried look on his face during the remainder of his speech. Security showed up the second Quinn pointed out what was taking place. And within the next following minutes, Y/n's phone was ringing in her pocket, a smile on her face.

"Are you okay?" his voice filled with concern. "I'm ecstatic, you're going to the playoffs baby!" she mused as the weight lifted off of his shoulders at the sound of her voice. He laughed at the use of the nickname, "I just gotta shower and do media I'll be out in like twenty minutes, Sound good?" "All good, love you, bye," she grinned at her friend as she walked to the bathroom.

She cleaned up the gash across her cheek and then bid her friend goodbye as she waited for Quinn to get out of doing media.

He left the changing rooms with a big grin on his face, he had finally done it, and after years of trying to help the team get to the playoffs all of the hard work had finally paid off. He whisked her up into a hug when she was talking to another wife on the team, unsuspecting as she laughed at the surprise contact, "Sorry, I'm stealing her for a second," he said as he pulled her away to have her all to himself.

She laughed as he spun her around and kissed her quickly, PDA wasn't a normal thing for Quinn but the high from adrenaline had him loving all over her. His thumb ran over her cheek as he kissed her again and again, a hiss leaving her mouth as he brushed over the cut. Quinn pulled away with furrowed brows, finally seeing the gash across her face, "I thought you said you were fine?" he inspected her face. "I'm fine, I promise!"

"What happened?" he said taking her by the hand and pulling her through the crowd of people to find one of the on-duty medics. She rolled her eyes at his dramatic antics, "Someone pushed Anna into me and I fell into the arm of the chair, I'm not concussed, it's not that big of a deal!" He handed her over to the care of one of the team medics who patched her up nicely, disinfecting the cut and putting a bandage on it for safe measures.

"All better?" he grinned. "I was fine before," she shrugged as he placed a kiss on the side of her head, a fake scowl on her face. "I get worried when shit like that happens, just be happy I didn't figure out a way to jump the glass to save you," he grinned.

"Can we please stop talking about it," she stopped in her tracks to look at him with a pleading look. "Let's talk about playoffs," she grinned, "Or the celebration I'm gonna give you when we get home," she teased making his face go red, taking her by the hand and pulling her in the direction of the exit.

-

-

-

I hate this :) but it'll do

[sassenach77yle]

“You thought you were dying when we brought you up here, didn’t you?” I asked. My voice sounded more bewildered than accusing. It took him a moment to answer, though he didn’t look hesitant. It was more as though he was looking for the proper words. “Well, I didna ken for sure, no,” he said slowly. “Though I did feel verra ill.” His eyes closed, slowly, as though he were too tired to keep them open. “I still do,” he added, in a detached sort of voice.

“Ye needna worry, though—I’ve made my choice.”

“What on earth do you mean by that?” I groped beneath the covers, and found his wrist. He was warm; hot again, in fact, and with a pulse that was too fast, too shallow. Still, it was so different from the deathly chill I had felt in him the night before that my first reaction was relief. He took a couple of deep breaths, then turned his head and opened his eyes to look at me. “I mean I could have died last night.” He could, certainly—and yet that wasn’t what he meant. He made it sound like a conscious— “What do you mean you’ve made your choice? You’ve decided not to die, after all?” I tried to speak lightly, but it wasn’t working very well. I remembered all too well that odd sense of timeless stillness that had surrounded us. “It was verra strange,” he said. “And yet it wasna strange at all.” He sounded faintly surprised.

“I think,” I said carefully, keeping a thumb on his pulse, “you’d better tell me just what happened.” He actually smiled at that, though the smile was more in his eyes than his lips. Those were dry, and painfully cracked in the corners. I touched his lips with a finger, wanting to go and fetch some soothing ointment for him, some water, some tea—but I put aside the impulse, steeling myself to stay and hear. “I dinna really know, Sassenach—or rather, I do, but I canna think quite how to say it.” He still looked tired, but his eyes stayed open. They lingered on my face, a vivid blue in the morning light, with an expression almost of curiosity, as though he hadn’t seen me before.

“You are so beautiful,” he said, softly. “So verra beautiful, mo chridhe.”

My hands were covered with fading blue blotches and overlooked smears of buffalo blood, I could feel my hair clinging in unwashed tangles to my neck, and I could smell everything from the stale-urine odor of dye to the reek of fear-sweat on my body. And yet whatever he saw lit his face as though he were looking at the full moon on a summer night, pure and lovely. His eyes stayed fixed on my face as he talked, absorbed, moving slightly as they seemed to trace my features. “I felt verra badly indeed when Arch and Roger Mac brought me up,” he said. “Terribly sick, and my leg and my head both throbbing with each heartbeat, so much that I began to dread the next. And so I would listen to the spaces between. Ye wouldna think it,” he said, sounded vaguely surprised, “but there is a great deal of time between the beats of a heart.” He had, he said, begun to hope, in those spaces, that the next beat would not come. And slowly, he realized that his heart was indeed slowing—and that the pain was growing remote, something separate from himself. His skin had grown colder, the fever fading from both body and mind, leaving the latter oddly clear. “And this is where I canna really say, Sassenach.” He pulled his wrist from my grip in the intensity of his story, and curled his fingers over mine. “But I . . . saw.” “Saw what?” And yet I already knew that he couldn’t tell me. Like any doctor, I had seen sick people make up their minds to die—and I knew that look they sometimes had; eyes wide-fixed on something in the distance. He hesitated, struggling to find words. I thought of something, and jumped in to try to help. “There was an elderly woman,” I said. “She died in the hospital where I was on staff—all her grown children with her, it was very peaceful.” I looked down, my own eyes fixed on his fingers, still red and slightly swollen, interlaced with my own stained and bloody digits. “She died—she was dead, I could see her pulse had stopped, she wasn’t breathing. All her children were by her bedside, weeping. And then, quite suddenly, her eyes opened. She wasn’t looking at any of them, but she was seeing something. And she said, quite clearly, ‘Oooh!’ Just like that—thrilled, like a little girl who’s just seen something wonderful. And then she closed her eyes again.” I looked up at him, blinking back tears. “Was it—like that?” He nodded, speechless, and his hand tightened on mine. “Something like,” he said, very softly. He had felt oddly suspended, in a place he could by no means describe, feeling completely at peace—and seeing very clearly. “It was as if there was a—it wasna a door, exactly, but a passageway of some kind—before me. And I could go through it, if I wanted. And I did want to,” he said, giving me a sideways glance and a shy smile. He had known what lay behind him, too, and realized that for that moment, he could choose. Go forward—or turn back. “And that’s when you asked me to touch you?” “I knew ye were the only thing that could bring me back,” he said simply. “I didna have the strength, myself.” There was a huge lump in my throat; I couldn’t speak, but squeezed his hand very tight. “Why?” I asked at last. “Why did you . . . choose to stay?” My throat was still tight, and my voice was hoarse. He heard it, and his hand tightened on mine; a ghost of his usual firm grip, and yet with the memory of strength within it. “Because ye need me,” he said, very softly. “Not because you love me?” He looked up then, with a shadow of a smile.

“Sassenach . . . I love ye now, and I will love ye always. Whether I am dead—or you—whether we are together or apart. You know it is true,” he said quietly, and touched my face. “I know it of you, and ye know it of me as well.”

He bent his head then, the bright hair swinging down across his cheek. “I didna mean only you, Sassenach. I have work still to do. I thought—for a bit—that perhaps it wasna so; that ye all might manage, with Roger Mac and auld Arch, Joseph and the Beardsleys. But there is war coming, and—for my sins—” he grimaced slightly, “I am a chief.” He shook his head slightly, in resignation. “God has made me what I am. He has given me the duty—and I must do it, whatever the cost.”

“The cost,” I echoed uneasily, hearing something harsher than resignation in his voice. He looked at me, then glanced, almost off-handed, toward the foot of the bed. “My leg’s no much worse,” he said, matter-of-factly, “but it’s no better. I think ye’ll have to take it off.”

The fiery cross

[whimsicalpolitical]

Tourbus cuddles // Ross Macdonald x Reader

Summery: A tourbus is small and it’s even smaller when your boyfriend is a giant. You both manage though.

warnings: none just fluff

Masterlist

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It’s a shit weather today. You still haven’t reached Buffalo and in the next few hours you won’t. It’s a thunderstorm out there, and you hate anything in relation to thunder and lightning. It’s quite good you’re in the tourbus with your boyfriend and friends.

With a blanket draped over you and Ross’ lap, you’re in the third round of UNO with Adam, Polly, John and Gabbriette.

“Do you think we have to cancel the show?” John asks while throwing a 4+ into the round. “Asshole,” Gabby says with a laugh, picking up 4 cards.

“I don’t know, it’s a possibility though if the weather gets even worse.” You sigh at Polly’s answer because you absolutely hate worse. It’s bad right now, but if it gets even worse, you’re staying under the blanket forever.

“Fucking wanker!” Matty screamed at the switch on the table. George breaks out in laughter, “you suck at this game.” Everyone watches them with a smile on their faces. This is home. Those people are your home.

Ross squeezes your thigh and gives you a quick kiss on your cheek before he stands up to go to the toilet. He won the round anyway.

“Hey, plug in my phone will you?” John hands you his phone and his charger. You turn around to the socket and stick the charger in but it doesn’t load. “Is your charger broken?” You ask and try twisting the side of the charger.

“Power is fucking out.” Matty yells from the very front of the bus. This night couldn’t get any better. “This sucks,” John says, “let’s hope when I wake up we’re at the destination.” He gets up and drapes his hoodie over his shoulder. “Good night.” Everyone says their good nights to John and continue to chat about tour.

When Ross gets back from the toilet you take his hand and kiss his knuckles. “I think I’m gonna head to bed as well.” You say and rub your eyes. Ross smiles, nods and takes your face into his hands to kiss you. “Gonna see you in the morning?” He asks and wraps himself up in the blanket. He’s the cutest man ever.

“Yeah, I love you.” You say and wave at everyone. You have the bunk bed above Gabbriette. It’s small and cozy but sleeping in it was terrifying at first. You left the curtain open all the time because you thought you couldn’t breathe in this tiny space. But now you’re laying under 2 blankets with the curtains closed to drown out the noise.

One more look at your phone and you’re in deep sleep. Not so deep actually because you awake at 2:30. You rub your eyes and jump at the loud rumbling of the thunder. You open the curtains and listen further. There is no talking which means everyone is in their bed by now.

Another unpleasant feeling is the sting in your lower stomach. You’ve been on your period for 2 days now, the third day is usually not so bad, but this only occurs to when you’re home and when you sleep in bed with your boyfriend. You have no choice though, the space is as tiny as it gets.

You try hard to fall asleep again but you can’t. You slowly get up to go to the kitchen area to grab a glass of water. When you get back you see Gabbriette on her phone in her bed and Matty’s face in her lap.“You up?” She asks and puts her phone down.

You nod and take a sip of the tap water, “this thunder is scaring me shitless, I’m on my period and I have to sleep in a tiny bed.” She chuckles at your frustrated sound.

“And Ross isn’t with you,” Matty adds which makes you sigh. Gabby gives you a smile. Matty and her usually fall asleep in the same bed but it looks uncomfortable and one awakes with back pain every time.

You definitely can’t take any more pain with what’s going on but you’re willing to handle it if it means cuddling with Ross. “ ‘M sure he wouldn’t mind having a cuddle, he’s whipped for you.” It feels like Matty is reading your mind. You nod and set the glass down onto a small table.

“I’m gonna do that, have a good night guys,” you wink at Gabby and she rolls her eyes at your indication. You walk away from the two of them, towards Ross’ bed, their chatting getting quieter.

Usually Ross also has the upper bed but this tour George really wanted it and Ross didn’t mind switching. His curtain is open and he’s laying on his stomach, hiding his hands under his pillow. It’s better to reach him, with him sleeping on the lower bed.

You can’t slip in because he’s taking up all the space right now. You crouch down and slowly nudge his shirt. “Ross?” You quietly say, “baby,” you try again. This time he stirs and opens his eyes slowly.

He mumbles your name in the dark and then he sees your face, your facial expression being uncomfortable. “Love, what’s wrong?” He says and uplifts himself onto his elbows. He rubs your cheek with his thumb and waits for an answer.

“It’s nothing serious it’s just-“ you pause and let the lightning light up the space. You see Ross’ tired eyes, you feel bad for waking him up. “It’s stupid, I’m sorry for waking you.” He shakes his head and doesn’t let you get up.

“Tell me darling,” his voice barely above a whisper. He lets his hand go through his hair, sleeking it back. You admire his face, and you absolutely adore his beard which he currently scratches.

“I just really wanna sleep in your bed, but it’s tiny and I get it. You’re really tall and I shouldn’t have woken you for this and-“ he cuts you off by scootching closer to the wall side. He lifts his blanket and intertwines your hands.

“Come here,” he whispers. You smile and close your eyes for a second. Then you slip in, not to be spooned but to face him and to nuzzle your face into his chest.

He puts the blanket around you and rests his head on yours. He gives you a couple of kisses and Ross in this state is causing you to become less focused on sleep and more focused on the way his breath sounds so close to your ear. “Thank you,” you say and kiss his shoulder blade.

“Mmhhmm,” he humms from deep in his throat with closed lips. You didn’t think you’d fit and you barely do with your side touching the bar, but you’re here now and that’s what matters.

There is basically no space between the two of you, but you manage to bring your hand up to Ross’ face and cup his jaw. You lean in and press a soft kiss to his lips. Ross doesn’t hesitate to kiss you back.

“Thought you were tired,” he says after pulling away from you, you both smile at each other and then you hide your face in his chest again. “I am,” you mumble.

“Sleep then, we have to get up early.” It should be about 3 now. You’re gonna be tired either way in the morning but it’s not a worry. You ignore his demand and keep on talking.

“I don’t like the weather, how is anyone supposed to sleep with noise like that.” You huff and roll your eyes. Ross snorts at you and rubs your back soothingly.

“Oh so you’re scared, ‘s why you came.” He partly speaks the truth but he doesn’t have to know it. You shake your head, “not scared, just uncomfortable.”

“Alright then,” he totally doesn’t believe you and you know it because you feel the smile on his face. “You good to sleep then?” Ross is on the verge of falling asleep again and you don’t want to keep him up any longer.

“Yes, thank you again baby. I love you so much.” Ross sleepily kisses you again. “I love you so much more,” he swoops his arm around your side and pulls you as close as he can, your bodies not having a centimeter between them.

Both of you close your eyes and another thunder causes you to jump a bit. Ross chuckles and shakes his head against you. “Don’t worry love,” his mouth comes closer down to your ear, “I’ll protect you.”

[mama-qwerty]

do you have any fun scu knuckles headcanons? maybe like what things are like when they get back to green hills??

Oh, well, first of all, Maddie is so angry she can't speak for a good five minutes when they return. Wade and Knux are both standing at the door, their heads hanging low, looking for all the world like dogs who had just peed on the antique, hand-woven rug that's been in her family for ten generations.

She opens the door, eyes going wide as she sees them. She opens her mouth, letting out a little squeak before closing it again. She tries again, and still just a squeak comes out. Then she slams the door in their faces. Opens it again. Another squeak. Another slam. Opens it again and hisses at them through gritted teeth "GET. IN. HERE."

They wisely obey.

They are both sat on the couch as she paces back and forth in front of them. Arms crossed, mouth pulled into a thin line. Every now and then she shoots them both a glare so hot they shrink under its weight.

Finally, she stops, bringing her clasped hands to her chin, and takes a long, deep breath. She lets it out slowly, before asking them just what in the ever-loving hell they thought they were doing.

They explain. They speak over each other, adding to the other's explanation, expanding on a point that hadn't been given very well. They laughed at some points, and quickly glossed over the bits they didn't think she'd take very well.

And as they talk, as they explain where they'd been for the past few days, Maddie notices something.

Knuckles, the most dangerous warrior in the galaxy, actually looked happy. His face was relaxed and he smiled more than she'd ever seen him since they'd taken him in. He and Wade seemed to have formed a bond on this trip, and even the deputy seemed more confident.

When they finish the tale of their adventure, Maddie feels her anger fade. She admits that she doesn't like how they simply disappeared--especially since Knuckles was supposed to be grounded--but it looks like their little road trip was good for them both. And she's so happy they're both okay.

But don't do it again.

After this, Knuckles has learned to have fun. He still trains, sure. He's gotten into the habit of jumping Sonic out of the blue under the guise of training--"Beware, surprise ambush!" he'll shout before pouncing on the hedgehog. Tails thinks it's hilarious, but Sonic's not too fond of it.

Wade and Knuckles have become best buds, and they go bowling at least once a week. Knuckles had a hard time in the early games, but Wade celebrated every pin the echidna knocked over without damaging anything as a glorious victory. Nachos are a favorite snack, followed closely by buffalo wings. Knuckles holds the record for the most wings eaten in 5 minutes.

When Wade goes back to visit his mother, he brings Knuckles with him--with Maddie's permission, of course. Wendy loves her little Knux, and they watch all sorts of movies together.

Tails had tried planting a tracker in Knux's shoe to keep tabs on him, because he didn't like carrying a phone. "It makes a strange humming sound, and makes my skin tingle," was his complaint, which no one really understood, but they didn't push it. The tracker didn't last more than two days, as it burnt out if Knux powered up and went sparky.

They came to an agreement that Knuckles would simply let someone know where he was when he was out. It took a few weeks to fully implant that into his head, but soon he got into the habit of either leaving a note or making sure he was seen around town.

And Wade always seemed to know where he was. "Bestie privileges," he'd said once when asked about it. "You know how it goes."

He's still a warrior . . . but he's thinking maybe he doesn't have to be right now. Maybe he doesn't have to train every day. Maybe it's okay to go fishing. Or bowling. Or watch movies. Or help people around town run errands or fix things or work in their gardens.

Maybe it's okay to just . . . be.

It's something he'd never done before. But he has to admit . . . he kinda likes it.

[tinyowlthoughts]

EC Theobromine Notes

Been thinking a lot about this crew of dorks the past month and working on a 'first' story, where Max met the crew in the usual unconventional-but-conventionally-human-way. Since Chocolate and Bluffing are still getting notes (Who are you people?!?!?! (and I'm glad you're enjoying it :3c)) I figured I'd share my own notes about the crew:

Max Species: Human Age: Early 30s Pronouns: They/Them Position: Navigator Appearance: Androgynous human of short stature Fun Facts: They were not officially assigned to the Theobromine (story coming soon!)

Taurvin Species: Scrofa Age: 350 Pronouns: He/Him Position: Captain Appearance: Towering (10 foot tall) bipedal bear made of lava and molten rock Fun Fact: When calm, Taurvin's skin appears to be obsidian plates formed together. When angry, the lava that is his blood begins to glow, making him look like a volcano on the edge of bursting, and smoke will emerge from his nostrils. He has been known to smoke out a whole pub when losing trivia night. His right arm is a prosthetic, that closely mimics his own skin, so not many notice it, even among his crew.

Gorvan Species: Stakad Age: 201 (Just achieved legal drinking age for his species) Pronouns: He/Him Position: First Mate Appearance: Fluffy bipedal with four arms, two horns, a long prehensile tufted tail, and a perpetual expression of confusion Fun Fact: Is the second-most compassionate on board (after Elaana) and makes a point of ensuring all the crew members are comfortable and have what they need.

Elaana Species: Lepida Age: 20 Pronouns: She/her Position: Medical Appearance: Bipedal insectoid with moth wings, antenna, and large, compound eyes Fun Fact: Lepida cry pollen, which sets off allergies among other crew members at times; thus, she rarely cries outside of her quarters, wanting to spare her friends the distress (and runny facial orifices). Low-key crushing on Lenzoill.

Epitak Species: Corvi (distant relative of Zads, from the same planet) Age: 1248 Pronouns: Ze/Zim Position: Engineer Appearance: Bipedal crow with a crest of feathers on zeir head that give away zeir emotions; wings sprout along zeir arms Fun Fact: Has several hidden stashes of shiny objects aboard the ship, ranging from tinfoil left over from cooking to jewels he, er, 'liberated' from unappreciative shop keepers.

Dhaca Species: Snallygaster Age: 42 (He has not read the Hitchhikers Guide, and does not understand Max when they quote it at him) Pronouns: He/They Position: Biologist & Chemist Appearance: Three-foot tall reptilian with a single, large eye, multiple tongues, leather wings with claws, two arms, and no legs Fun Fact: He cannot fly with his wings, though they can give him a boost when jumping, and the claws on the end work as an extra pair of hands when he is experimenting. He has blown himself up more than once, luckily his scaly skin serves as pretty good blast protection. He has an entire crate of back-up glasses that regularly has to be restocked.

Lenzoill Species: Bubalus Age: 22 Pronouns: She/Her Position: Head of Security Appearance: Bipedal water buffalo with horns and a long, whip-like tail Fun Fact: Is a complete badass with training in multiple melee combat styles, ranged weapons, and melee weapons. Her favorite is an energy sword (that max compares to a lightsaber, though its more comparable to a broadsword made of energy), but in a pinch her sharpened horns can be used when charging. Is less competent with emotions, not due to any meathead trope but because her race is not as socially advanced as others and still holds prejudice views against non-traditional relationships. Being gay, she keeps her emotions to herself in order to protect her families reputation. (She'll figure it out eventually, no worries.) High-key crushing on Elaana but doesn't know how to act on it.

Qhals Species: Acinonyx Age: 19 Pronouns: He/Him Position: Linguist Appearance: Feline centaur with short fur, spots, and the cutest little floofy ears that give away his emotions (as the youngest crew member he gets teased relentlessly) Fun Fact: Qhals is comparable to a cheetah for several reasons - his spots, his ability to get along with a wide variety of species (aka there's no such thing as strangers, just friends he hasn't met yet), and his ability to mimic most vocal languages, and understand almost all of them! He is a true polyglot, and even without his translator implant can usually pick up on the gist of foreign languages through universal constants, body language, and charades. (Max asked him about something called 'autism' once, but apparently Acinonyx often have special interests that vary and becoming hyper fixated on something isn't unusual. Max squinted and asked about something called 'trains', which Qhals admitted to not being familiar with, though he did start info-dumping on a trolley-like system common in his home planets capital. This, for some reason, set Max giggling.)

Ir'ith Species: Zad (distant relatives of Corvi, from the same planet) Age: Nobody knows - old, though. Pronouns: He/Him/Not Late For Dinner Position: Quartermaster/Cook Appearance: Bipedal raven with a wings attached to the back, separate from the arms, forward-facing knees, and feather crests alongside his head that serve as ears Fun Fact: Nobody remembers him being assigned - he just showed up one day and took over as quartermaster and ship cook. Taurvin and Gorvan know his papers are forged, but he's the only one onboard who can cook, and he hasn't been threatening/dangerous, so they've let him be. Unlike Epitak, who can only glide, Ir'ith can fly.

Extra Facts:

Except for the human and snallygaster, all species names have Latin roots. (Google Snallygaster if you haven't, they're incredible. Top 10 cryptid.)

Scientifically, cheetahs are not in the same family as other big cats! They are in the family Felidae, the same as housecats, because they can't roar, and can purr. They can also chirp, chitter, and trill. Qhals can do all of this, plus hiss and growl when he's annoyed. He can yell, but unlike other feline-esque species, he can't roar.

Acinonyx are also very touchy species - they do cuddle piles, greet others with cheek-rubs, and will wrap their tail around friends/family/partners/etc. absent mindedly. This extends to other species as well, and it is not uncommon to find Qhals wrapped around somebody in the common areas while they do work/nap/watch the space equivalent of YouTube/etc.

The other feline species on the Qhals planet of Dae (which are heavily reminiscent of human feline species because a human is writing this) range in size from the large, striped Gris who excel in gladiatorial sports to the tiny, spotted Ailurus who are renowned trackers, hunters, and trappers (and who will stab you if you make fun of their height). Unlike the Corvi and Zad, there is no hierarchy between the species and subspecies, but instead a dependency on everyone to do what is needed to help society flourish. That's not to say racist, speciest pricks don't exist, but when everyone has knives for claws, they tend to keep it on the downlow in public.

Traditionally, on their planet, Zad are subservient to Corvi, due to size and power difference. While Epitak is larger than Ir'ith, the latter has never once deferred to the former, and in fact seems to take great joy in denying Epitak any form of traditional respect.

Few Bubalus leave their planet - while they are content to trade, they are a very insular species and prefer to stay home. The countries of their world are divided into different communities with different dialects, traditions, etc. The one Lenzoill was from had set traditional gender roles and ideals for what a young female who can bear children should do. Infertile females are often shunned and sent to relatives in other communities who are more open minded.

In this story/setting, Humans are very much a 'recent' species (less than 200 years of integration), and thus there are still many rumors and such about them. They are not often seen in the far reaches of space (making Max an anomaly for many), and are known as a violent, bloodthirsty species who are willing to do whatever they must for survival/riches/clout. Very much a space orc ideal of them, which Max is 10000% willing to use to their advantage when their friends/crew are in trouble. (There's no way that will ever backfire. Nope. Never.)

There is this awful art piece of them, which I plan on redrawing eventually now that I have a better idea of how I want them to work. Not anytime soon - Summer Reading Program is in full swing and I barely have time to blink, let alone draw - but hopefully within the next few months. I'm also working on an 'origin story' of how Max joined the crew, and their reactions to it, and have a stockpile of ideas to work on in the future when I have a chance.

I'm so happy this story keeps getting attention, and that so many people like it! The EC Theobromine is definitely going to have more adventures. : D

(PS: I keep putting 'he' instead of 'they' for Max, if you see that in a story please let me know so I can correct it. Max is nonbinary and I sometimes mistype and don't catch it during writing/editing.)

[leohtttbriar]

To be of use

By Marge Piercy

The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight. They seem to become natives of that element, the black sleek heads of seals bouncing like half-submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest and work in a row and pass the bags along, who are not parlor generals and field deserters but move in a common rhythm when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust. But the thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident. Greek amphoras for wine or oil, Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums but you know they were made to be used. The pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Bison Day 

You see them everywhere — on coins, on sports team logos, and a couple of state flags. No, we’re not talking about the bald eagle. This honor is reserved for North American bison. On National Bison Day, November 2, an annual event that falls on the first Saturday in November, all Americans should reflect on the impact bison have as a part of our environmental and cultural heritage. Bison are especially revered by Native people — central to their survival as both food and spiritual inspiration.

National Bison Day timeline

1900s ​Bison herds severely reduced due to excessive hunting and abuses

Hunting dramatically reduced the population — leaving a mere 700 in private herds; even Yellowstone was left with only 23 bison by 1902.

1992 ​​Native American tribes formed new group to share resources and help bison

The InterTribal Indian Council formed not only to return bison to tribal lands,  but also to create culturally-sensitive educational programs and provide both technical resources and help to 56 tribes.

​1997 Groups signed Bison Memorandum of Understanding

​The  first conservation agreement between an environmental organization and a diverse collective of Native American tribes agreed to combine efforts to return wild bison to tribal land.

​2012 ​The U.S. Senate passed first National Bison Day Resolution

The Senate passed its first resolution honoring National Bison Day, which was also supported by various tribal groups and  the Wildlife Conservation Society.

How to Observe National Bison Day

Sign a petition

Visit a national park

Wear your National Bison Day T-shirt

Stand in support of returning wild bison to their original tribal lands on thousands of acres of Native American reservations. Collaborations among certain groups are working to remind Americans about the important role bison play in the lives of native peoples. Bison are considered sacred and they are even featured in certain tribal creation stories. Bison have also been a source of food and clothing — providing hides for tents, robes, shoes, and tools so that people could survive in harsh climates.

You may not be able to get to a large national park like Yellowstone, but there are a vast number of smaller parks from which to choose. Imagine what it must have been like to see thousands of bison freely roaming the plains. Give your children a chance to experience the wonder of our latest national icon — the bison.

Many groups use this day to raise funds in support of bison. It won’t be hard to find a T-shirt showing your love of bison. Wear it proudly because it’s for a great, patriotic cause.

5 Reasons We Love Our Bison

​Watch that tail

​They've got skills

​They're oldies but goodies

​Throw a stone — hit a bison

Bison as symbols

​If a bison’s tail is hanging down and moves naturally from side to side, the animal is relaxed. But when the tail stands straight up, it's a signal the bison is getting ready to charge.

​Given their size as the largest mammals in North America, bison are surprisingly agile with an ability to  swim well, jump up to six feet, and run between 35 and 40 mph.

Bison have always roamed in Yellowstone National Park as evidenced by prehistoric fossils found in modern times.

​Herds of bison can be found in all 50 states.

​The American bison is not only the country's official mammal; the bison is also the state mammal of Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Why National Bison Day is Important

It's our national mammal

They're different from buffalo

They were almost extinct

President Obama, with the support of a broad coalition of Native American tribes, wildlife support groups, and concerned members of the Senate, signed a 2015  law making the proud and majestic bison our  national mammal. This law helps to protect bison from extinction and encourages a return back to their native tribal lands.

We know you have been wondering about this so we're going to set you straight. Bison and buffalo are not the same.  Bison are native to North and South America and Europe, while the traditional home of the buffalo is in Africa and Asia. At the height of their magnificence, there were between 30 and 60 million bison in the New World circa the 16th century. Today, there are currently half a million bison roaming happily across North America.     .

Native peoples once lived their lives around the vast herds of bison that swirled around areas of the west and northwest, the central plains, and the southeastern U.S. Once pioneers started their westward trek, both the Native American tribes and the bison herds were seen as obstacles to progress. As the native peoples were systematically forced off their lands by either poachers or fake government treaties, the bison herds began to disappear; by the early part of last century, bison were on the way to extinction. Today, through the collective efforts of Indian tribes, wildlife associations, the national park system and others, bison have re-emerged as a protected species.

Source

[brevityisnotmywit]

Waiting For The Worms

Rabid Pneumonia: Also known as Tar Lung, or Wet Lung. A respiratory disease that eventually attacks the brain of its host, driving them to violence.

The pandemic has been ravaging Equestria for five months...Twilight is running out of time.

(Content Warnings: Zombie AU, Gore, Major Character Death, Disease.)

Five months have passed since the initial outbreak.

One hundred and fifty three long days of fear and mourning.

Two hundred twenty thousand three hundred twenty minutes of desperate attempts to combat this sickness.

It took a few weeks before Twilight had identified the reason they had so much trouble containing the disease. It was something so universal, so basic…something no one could live without.

Water. This damned plague spread through fresh water. True, a bite from an infected creature would transfer it, but its main method of transmission was something every living thing required. It wasn’t even like the princess had meant to discover this. No, she had gone to refill the coolant tanks for her lab when she noticed it.

Some poor filly, lost in the pain of the sickness, had dragged her broken body to the banks of the river. This puzzled Twilight. By this point, it was clear that the little pony was in the final stages of Rabid Pneumonia. She would have been suffering from hydrophobia, surely. And yet here she was, gagging on the black bile flooding her lungs. After many long moments, the pathetic creature hurls herself into the stream, startling Twilight.

Of course she was aware of how often they had to fish bodies out of the reservoir. She’d just presumed that it was due to the rainy season washing them downhill…she had a new panel to run.

After that, they tasked the pegasi and dragons with getting the word out. All water had to be boiled and filtered before drinking. It helped, but not nearly enough.

Month two is when they had to accept that magic wouldn’t fix this. The four princesses had called upon Discord to work towards a spell to address this. Between the five of them, there was nothing they couldn’t do…or so they thought.

Tar Lung could bounce back from anything they cast.

Discord was particularly stunned by this. He certainly wasn’t used to putting in effort to get what he wanted. By the time it was clear that they would have to resort to modern medicine, the draconequus seemed to fall into a depressive episode. He’d blipped away, presumably to the fortified home he had built for Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The latter had moved in after she’d lost her husband and their daughter…

Shortly after that, Cadence had heard of the illness reaching the Crystal Kingdom. She rushed home, only to report that she would be unable to leave her people. A week later, Twilight received the news that her brother had contracted it.

She scowled, and shook her head. If her magic didn���t help, that was fine. Twilight never let herself lose sight of the practical side of her studies. She was particularly skilled in chemistry. So she called upon anyone experienced in medicine. Earth ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, Kirin, Zebras, if you knew your way around a lab, you were invited.

Zecora had been a big help to their cause. She had convinced a few buffalo to join her, one of which was Little Strongheart’s daughter. The zebra made it clear that Twilight was to show the utmost respect to all who answered her summons. If the princess didn’t understand traditional methods, that didn’t mean they had no merit.

The implied accusation stung, but Twilight understood why Zecora made it. She’d definitely had moments of dismissing science she considered primitive.

As it would turn out, some of the biggest advances the team made began with the group helmed by the zebra. Their deep knowledge of the local ecosystem had resulted in significant breakthroughs. They hit a snag when the disease mutated again. The first documented jump was to the local population of timber wolves. They hadn’t anticipated it would be able to spread to plants…

Ink Rot meant a whole different threat.

Applejack wasted no time in assembling a crew to figure out why their crops had begun to die. Clearly it was related to the pandemic, but how? Tar Lung started as a respiratory disease, it shouldn’t impact this.

And yet, here they were.

Thankfully Ink Rot didn’t seem to be able to transmit to animals. At least, not like the virus could. It definitely could make you sick if you consumed too much contaminated matter. But it just resulted in something akin to food poisoning. The biggest danger was how it weakened the immune system.

Anyone recovering from Ink Toxicity was significantly more likely to contract Tar Lung. Even if they took every possible precaution. The sickness was getting stronger every passing moment.

Applejack was the one that suggested rain was no longer safe. After the outbreak, Cloudsdale had allowed the weather to self-regulate. They would do their best to prevent natural disasters, but their numbers had been falling to the virus at a significant rate.

As the storms rolled through, cases would skyrocket. Out of frustration, Applejack lamented that the petrichor smelled sour. Of course. Of course it was the rain. They couldn’t possibly boil every lake in the world.

The timber wolves had started to reach the final stages, so they would likely be drowning themselves like the previous carriers. Zecora had guessed that Ink Rot stemmed from their decaying branches.

Twilight issues a command to have Cloudsdale evacuated. She finds some comfort in the knowledge that Dash wasn’t around to see her home in this state…wherever she was. The princess tried not to dwell on her fallen friends. They both would just tell her to keep working on the cure.

A few days after the fall of the pegasi kingdom, Zecora caught it. The moment the acidic bile began to seep from her snout, she walked into a holding cell. She reassured Twilight from her glass cage that everything would make sense soon. The alicorn had everything she needed to save the world.

It was a rough few weeks, watching one of her most valuable teammates collapse under the strain of the sickness. Watching as it reached her brain, being forced to hear the zebra rip at her burning chest. The wet choking echoing off the walls…Twilight cried herself to sleep regularly.

She was failing her community. She was running out of time.

Which brings us to now. 

Five months.

One hundred and fifty three days.

Two hundred twenty thousand three hundred twenty minutes.

A brilliant flash blinds the princess. She scrubs at her eyes, squinting against the light. She’s surprised at who stands before her. The lord of chaos himself. Discord had returned. He looks exhausted. His thin mane had grown out, forming mats that swung heavily as he offered a half-hearted bow. His mismatched eyes were haunted…something was wrong.

“Discord?” Twilight asks softly, not wanting to startle him. The lab had too many delicate items to risk him bolting on her. “...What happened?”

It was clear from his expression that he anticipated the question. The draconequus knew she was a clever one. She saw right through him. As per usual. His voice is rough, as though he’d been screaming for hours.

“Observant as always, princess .” He spits out her title like the word is rotten on his tongue. “I take it you’re not getting anywhere?”

The jab digs into her spirit like an arrow. Twilight’s wings lift subtly, making her appear bigger. “We’ve made significant progress towards a cure. We’ll have our vaccine by the end of the year.” She snorts, flicking her tail. “Not that you care.”

The air shifts. Discord’s form distorts, chaos magic leaking out. The princess catches a glimpse of his true appearance. A twisting fractal, branching out into impossible angles and planes. He snarls, teeth rotating and multiplying endlessly. After a very tense moment, he reels his power in. The window into his reality closes.

The venom in his voice remains. “I resent that accusation.”

Twilight forces herself to stand strong. She was the only one that could fight him if needed. “State your business.” She snaps. “But I’m only going to warn you once. If you do anything to jeopardize our work, I will not hesitate to stop you. Keep that in mind.”

“Oh I’m so frightened, I just might shake myself apart.”

“ Discord .” She takes a step towards him.

“Ugh, you’re still no fun.” He rolls his eyes. Literally. Before Twilight can respond, Discord’s tone becomes serious again. “I’m here to help you.”

“You know none of our magic works against it.” The princess reminds him.

“ Yes . I am distinctly aware of how useless I appear to you.” He folds his arms, his tail flicking with irritation. “This whole thing has gone too far. You need someone that can get you anything in a matter of seconds. I am your obedient servant .”

He punctuates this with another, more dramatic bow.

Something’s happened, Twilight realizes. “Not that I’m going to turn you down but…why are you offering this now? You could have shown up at any moment, you know.”

“They caught it.” Discord states bluntly.

Twilight doesn’t need clarification on who ‘they’ are.

“I couldn’t protect them…I poured everything I had into keeping my-” He pauses, glancing away. “Keeping them safe from this. You know me, I could care less if this world implodes…or at least I did. I’m a selfish creature, it’s in my nature. I’m sure you understand.”

The princess nods, motioning for him to continue.

“...I can’t let them die, Twilight. I might not be able to snap this disease out of existence, but if I can do even the smallest thing to help expedite your work?” Discord meets her eyes, and she can see a hint of his old resolve. “I’ll make it happen. Just say the word…and please, we may be desperate, but let’s not forget our manners, hm?”

A harsh laugh bubbles up from Twilight’s chest. She can’t believe this is what it took to snap Discord from his isolation…actually, yes she can. This was perfectly in character for him.

“Alright. We can discuss details later, right now I need-” She was interrupted by a panicked Spike bursting into the room.

“Hey! Twilight, I’ve got a message from the Castle!” The dragon holds it out, allowing his friend to grab it with her magic.

She unfurls it, expecting a long update. What she does find, however, are three sentences that chill her to the bone.

‘The disease has breached the barrier. The Sisters are no longer with us. Please hurry…”

[elwenyere]

To be of use

The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight. They seem to become natives of that element, the black sleek heads of seals bouncing like half-submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest and work in a row and pass the bags along, who are not parlor generals and field deserters but move in a common rhythm when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust. But the thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident. Greek amphoras for wine or oil, Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums but you know they were made to be used. The pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real.

-- Marge Piercy

[krispyweiss]

Book Review: “What a Fool Believes: A Memoir” by Michael McDonald with Paul Reiser

Some guys - like Michael McDonald - have all the luck.

The gods of good fortune are evident throughout “What a Fool Believes: A Memoir,” by the Doobie and actor and comedian Paul Reiser.

There’s the pickup gig - a wrap party for television’s “Emergency” program - the then-struggling musician did with Jeff Porcaro. That led to a call from Steely Dan. Dan, of course, led to McDonald meeting Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, which led to the Doobies and all the rest.

Sure, McDonald worked hard - singing his first song, “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing,” as a 5-year-old in a club his singing father had dragged him to; a series of small-time cover groups; house-band gigs backing Bobby Vee, Bobby Vinton, Muddy Waters, B. B. King, Albert King, Howlin’ Wolf and Chuck Berry in and around St. Louis; an aborted, 1970 solo album after moving to California.

All this and more - including wonderful photos of early-’70s Dan on stage and the Doobies’ priceless 1975 Christmas card that features the Brothers flipping the bird in unison - is packed into “Fool”’s 336 pages.

One of the things that makes the book so readable and enjoyable is McDonald’s honesty and humbleness. And so, as Chapter 28 begins, McDonald, says: “If my life had a motto, it would surely be: ‘As luck would have it.’”

And the reader thinks: I knew he knew it.

Although McDonald was for a time one of the world’s brightest stars, he understands it was good fortune. And he got lucky despite a debilitating drug and alcohol problem he finally licked.

McDonald breezily acknowledges he was overexposed by singing backgrounds for everyone as the 1970s melted into the 1980s and happily admits he ultimately wound up saddled with adult-contemporary and yacht-rock record labels.

For all the often hilarious (Walter Becker) or disturbing (Buffalo Springfield’s Bruce Palmer, who is not named) stories about famous people, the tales of McDonald’s son, Dylan, are perhaps the most entertaining. A free spirit from the jump, Dylan’s escapades are laugh-out-loud hilarious and testament to McDonald’s story-telling abilities and Reiser’s tight writing style.

Love him or loathe him - McDonald’s a divisive musician - “What a Fool Believes” is a strong rock ‘n’ roll memoir, one that has sex and drugs, of course, but also one that has McDonald’s decades-long marriage to Amy Holland at its core and an obviously solid human being as its voice.

Grade card: “What a Fool Believes: A Memoir” by Michael McDonald with Paul Reiser - A-

10/29/24

[seeminglyranch87]

Taylor & Travis Timeline

January 2024 - part 2

January 18 - Travis listed among Chiefs Playoff captains for 2024 (x)

January 20 - Travis arrives in Buffalo, NY ahead of the AFC divisional game (x)

January 21 - Chiefs v Bills, Highmark Stadium, Buffalo, AFC Divisional Playoff. Chiefs defeat Bills 27 - 24.

Taylor meets Jason & Kylie Kelce. Jason shows his "electric" support for his brother Travis and the Chiefs. Travis scored 2 touch downs.

Chiefs move on to the AFC Championship!

January 22 - Entertainment Tonight (x) publish article with a source revealing:

"Taylor and Travis are doing really well, they try to spend as much time as they can together. Travis also makes it a point to make sure Taylor feels as comfortable as possible at his home. They have discussed their future as a couple and are excited at the idea of it." 

January 23 - Taylor out to dine at Nobu, NYC with Brittany Mahomes, Cara Delevingne and Ashleigh Avignone

January 24 - New Heights podcast Ep 75 (x 48.00) - Travis & Jason recount the game referencing Jason's lack of shirt, jumping out the window and being told to behave by his wife.

"(Kylie) was already telling me to be on my best behaviour cause we were meeting Taylor" says Jason

Travis tells Jason "Tay absolutely loved you".

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SportsCenter (@sportscenter)

Travis comments on the Bills crowd - although being a passionate crowd some Bills fans were disrespectful to his family which we believe included Taylor.

Taylor likes the New Heights IG page promoting Ep 75 (x)

Drue Tranquill - Chiefs Linebacker talks about Travis and Taylor on the Zach Gelb Show (x 10:30)

Tranquill says "we enjoy poking fun at Travis, seems like maybe they are in love"

Gelb asks "Do you expect an invite to that wedding?" Tranquill answers "I think there are a lot of people who want to go to that." speculating that Travis and Taylor will get married.

January 26 - Kansas City Chiefs Press conference (x 17:45) Travis answers questions leading into the AFC championship:

Travis asserts when asked about is focus "you got to compartmentalize what you're hearing and and make sure that you're staying on task and giving everybody in the building the right perception"

A journalist asks "is it sort of thing you and Taylor have talked about how to deal with that? Travis replies "the only thing we've talked about is as long as we're happy, we can't listen to anything that's outside noise that's all that matters" you mentioned the outside noise a lot of

January 27 - Travis arrives in Baltimore ahead of the game

January 28 - AFC Championship Chiefs v Ravens, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD. (x)

Travis had a brilliant game - the stats don't lie (x)

Travis passes Jerry Rice for the most catches in NFL postseason history.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeats the Baltimore Ravens 17 - 10. The Chiefs are declared AFC Champions! They are off to the Super Bowl "baby!!!" (x)

Taylor joins Donna, Ed & Jason Kelce on the field to congratulate Travis and the team on their win and progress to the Super Bowl to defend the title! This is the first time Taylor has walked on the field.

Travis is overheard saying:

"Tay, I'm going in to enjoy with the guys, I love you," Kelce says in the clip. "So much it’s not even funny."  "I love you, too," Taylor responds. "I've never been so proud. Ever." 

Keleigh Teller posts videos of the celebrations inside the suite at Bank Stadium, Baltimore (x x)

January 29 - ET publish article (x)

A source tells ET, "Taylor and Travis are so excited that the Chiefs and Travis are heading to the Super Bowl. They’re very in love and Taylor is super proud of him. They’re both extremely dedicated and hardworking and understand each other. They are relishing in this moment."

January 30 - Andy Reid tells Tom Brady how he knew Taylor and her Dad before Travis did. Reid also address the rumours that Travis may be distracted by dating Taylor (x)

Andy Reid said "there has been no distraction" "Travis handled it right, [Taylor] handled it right, it hasn't been a problem at all.

January 31 - New Heights Podcast Ep 76 airs. Jason and Travis discuss the game that qualified the Chiefs for the Super Bowl. Jason mentions that Taylor joined them on the field after the game...

"Shout out to the newest members of the Chiefs Kingdom," said Jason. "Taylor Swift, who has officially reached the Super Bowl in her rookie year."  Travis responds "Shout out to Tay. Thanks for joining the team." 

Travis is interviewed on the Pat McAfee show and he answers questions about Taylor (x)

"We knew each other close to a month" tells Travis when asked if they knew each other prior to Taylor's first appearance at a game on Sept. 24, 2023.

When asked about his relationship with Taylor,

"Hopefully everybody realizes that we're just two people in a relationship, supporting each other and having fun with it, man, it's nothing more than that," Kelce said of Swift's support. "[No matter] how much the world wants to paint the picture and make us the enemy, we just have fun with it. And we enjoy every single bit of it."

"I love it when Taylor comes and supports me and enjoys the game with the family and friends. It's been nothing but a wonderful year, man," he added.

Travis also confirmed that he is unable to attend the Grammys with Taylor

"I wish I could go support Taylor at the GRAMMYs and watch her win every single award that she's nominated for but... unfortunately, I gotta get ready for this big old Super Bowl and we got a week," he shared.

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[stagkingswife]

Hello!!!! So... I'm really really scared of spirit work/deity work, idk I just am so scared of appearing to be disrespectful or something. So theres been some time that I'm just like worshipping and stuff, but I wanna take to the next level. 😅 and you seem really friendly lol so that's why i really wanted to ask you how do you invoke deities/spirits/etc..?? Or even a book or an article about it! I have already read Jason Millers book on spirit work, but every conjuring just feels so weirdly formal and so not me??? If it's really the same way you do, could you give me an advice of how to proceed during it and overcome this fear??

Thank you very much in advance! 💗🌷

If you're afraid of being disrespectful, just try your best to be respectful. I know that sounds kind of flippant, but hear me out here. In my experience, more often than not entity understands what you're trying to and appreciates and appreciates your efforts. They will see you trying to be respectful, and take your actions as the sign of respect you mean it to be. There are of course entities like the Fair Folk who do have their own very specific culture and deviating from that culture would be seen as disrespectful, but in my experience that's not case of every spirit or even most spirits. That being said, I can't help with invocation, conjuration, or summoning. I don't do anything like that because I personally find it a bit rude and demanding of the spirits I am close with. I treat the spirits I have relationships with like family, beloved friends, close neighbors or colleagues, and I find it rude, and presumptive of myself, to make demands of their presence and attention and I am not comfortable doing. I'm sure it works wonderfully for other people with other paradigms, but it's just not how I was taught or how I operate. I prefer to go to my spirits instead of trying to bring them to me, particularly if I want to ask them for a favor or for assistance with something. So I use a lot of Otherworldly travel to visit my spirits that aren't connected with physical places, or are connected with physical places I can't easily get to. And I will physically go to places where I strongly feel the presence of other spirits. I bring them gifts and offerings either way. For instance I met the clan of Fair Folk that I associate with for the first time in my parent's back yard as a little girl, so whenever I'm over at my parent's I go out back to that spot to drop off some gifts. On the other hand the only physical place that I've ever really felt connected to Drove was at a buffalo jump archeological site in Montana, but I live in NY - that's not easy for me to get back to so I visit her in the Otherworlds.

I'm happy to talk about how to Travel and set up rounds of visits and such if you're interested, or other ways to do spirit work without summoning, but if you have you're heart set on summoning I'm afraid I can't help.

[hopetorun]

“it’s almost just like how it was before” for the made-up fic title meme!

my first thought for this was actually leon goes to tampa futurefic but the @msmargaretmurry did this in a response for the same meme so i'm going to take this in a different direction.

our story starts in buffalo, new york, on june 24, 2016. draft day. auston matthew goes first overall to toronto, and patrik laine goes second overall to winnipeg. and then, instead of what actually happened that day, it goes the way people thought it would: jesse puljujarvi goes third, to columbus. and edmonton, picking fourth, takes the guy whose nameplate they already have velcroed to an oilers jersey: matthew tkachuk.

so matthew trucks his way up to edmonton, with aspirations of adding "winger for connor mcdavid" to his resume. now i'm gonna level with y'all: the oilers made me very, very mad in the summer of 2016 and hockey in general made me very, very made in the fall of 2016, so i've memory holed a lot of the details of the next couple of years. but luckily i'm not writing this story for real, so i can fudge and slur my way through that part!

matthew's career trajectory in edmonton isn't all that different from in calgary -- he's good pretty much from the jump, and with some ups and downs improves as he gets older (and a little calmer). he does get to add winger for connor mcdavid to his resume, but he ends up sticking mostly on the second line, as one of leon's wingers. there's a lot of reasons for it, but in part it's because it just drives the other teams bananas. annoyingness/60 off the charts. and matthew and leon are both having a blast the whole time.

i don't think they click instantly when matthew shows up in edmonton in 2016, because matthew's a hotshot, high draft pick, legacy, the whole nine yards, and leon's still feeling a little insecure about his place with the oilers. at least matthew's not a center.

so they don't click instantly, but it comes pretty quickly. matthew's a friendly guy, when he's not antagonizing every flames player on the ice (which frankly leon thinks is very funny), and he's smart about hockey, and a fun guy to hang out with.

and so we get a few years of the mcdavid-draisaitl-tkachuk era in edmonton. a lot of goals, and maybe not as much defensive responsibility as everyone wishes, a lot of people on twitter and capfriendly's gm tool getting stressed about the contract math. and they're right to be stressed about the contract math -- that's a lot of high-end offensive talent to have stored up, and it's gonna get pricey.

and then it's the 2021 offseason. matthew's already been a holdout, and he got his deal but everyone knows the next one won't be any easier, and mcdavid and draisaitl have their long-term deals but they're only going to get more expensive. they've been swept two years in a row in the playoffs. the front office wants results, and cap flexibility (that flat cap is already hurting). so matthew gets traded.

now, i don't think he and leon ever dated or anything at this point, but they were kind of dancing around the possibility for a while. another few years, or maybe one good solid playoff run, and it would've happened. (and by it i do mean falling into bed without actually talking about anything, but they would've talked eventually. both of them are too soft and serious about important things.) so for leon, matthew is this possibility. someone he almost got to have. it haunts him a little, when he lets it. and he misses the camaraderie he had with matthew, and how well they clicked on the ice. but that's just the business. he makes new friends and finds new guys to click with on the ice, and sure none of them make his heart beat too fast in the same way but he shouldn't be looking for boyfriends amongst his teammates anyway.

they keep in touch, a bit. it's hard with the grind of the season, and the time difference (matthew's on the east coast now) that doesn't even get any easier in the summers. leon fills up the space matthew took up in his life with other friends. more time with connor. other teammates. a dog. (it's a hassle, without someone living with him, but he's got a very generous neighbor and a big backyard and money to burn on fancy kennels if he wants.)

leon dates someone else, eventually. pretty seriously, living together kind of stuff. it is easier to deal with the dog this way. he learns just how annoying it is to play against matthew, and he tries not to laugh when matthew stares him down. the two of them get dinner with connor when the oilers are in raleigh (hey, we're playing the it almost happened game here anyway) and talk about the oilers circa 2017 experience. none of them win cups, but matthew gets the closest. leon determinedly isn't jealous, and sends him a nice text when the canes wash out in the conference final. again. but you know, it's not like leon misses him daily or anything. just at odd moments, when a play breaks down and he ends up with the puck, and he spins to find matthew on the ice, because matthew would've seen the same thing he did. and matthew's not there. matthew hasn't been there for years.

he doesn't ever ask if matthew's dating anyone, and matthew doesn't volunteer the information. he thinks it'll sting too much to find out, even though he is dating someone, and he hasn't told matthew about it.

matthew finds out, though, at an all-star game down the road. they're both there, and leon's boyfriend is too, and leon doesn't even introduce them. matthew's just saying hi to everyone, the way he does, and leon's boyfriend says leon invited him, and from the look on matthew's face, he doesn't even have to say boyfriend because matthew's got it all figured out. that shouldn't bother leon, and it bothers him a hell of a lot. (matthew's dated people too, but no one seriously enough to do something like this, and leon is right that he'd be hurt if he found out.)

leon signs a contract extension in edmonton. thinks about the possibility of retiring as an oiler. gets dumped, because his boyfriend gets tired of the late nights at home alone. the core of players he was striving for a cup with in edmonton is slowly breaking up. early-ish retirements. trades. the usual stuff. and leon wants to win, and he's starting to think that isn't going to happen in edmonton.

there's two years left on his contract and, well. he's looking, a bit. eyeballing other teams, looking at where he thinks he might be able to help the most. he has a full NTC, now, and the oilers won't be happy if he asks to be moved, but he thinks they'll make it happen. he can be flexible, a bit. he's good enough to command a decent return. connor will forgive him. he'll resent it, the freedom that his presence has given leon to do things like bail on the oilers when the going starts getting tough again, but he'll get over it. the deadline is creeping up now, and the oilers could still make the playoffs but it's looking more and more like they won't, and on the other side of the continent matthew's still -- well, he's not tearing it up like he used to, but he's putting together a decent season on a competitive team. and leon's jealous.

so he finally puts in the request. feels a little guilty but not enough to not do it. this is a business. he wants to win. he's won everything else, individually. maybe they've even won the president's trophy once or twice. but he wants a cup. the cup isn't the first thing he thinks about when all the chips are down and he's going to be matthew's teammate again.

it takes some getting used to, when it actually happens. matthew doesn't just plop back onto leon's wing and learn to read his mind all over again. matthew's an established guy on the team, he's already got a line. leon's playing a bit of wing, a bit of center. leon knows better than to have expected everything to just slot back into place but there was a stupid part of him that kind of wanted it anyway. it was so easy before! and now matthew's got a whole life here and leon's the interloper.

i think from here leon spends a while being in his feelings about it. not wanting to push too hard and upset the balance of this team, because they're winning. they're playing well. it feels good. but then the team's 2c gets hurt and he ends up slotting in, matthew on his wing again and oh, oh, that's the thing they used to have. leon is totally swept up in it, and along with it the crush he used to have on matthew. the thing that always felt like it could happen is still there, simmering under the surface. leon feels it when matthew slams him into the boards in a hug, and he feels it when matthew compliments him in a scrum and he feels it at the bar after the game, drink in hand and matthew leaning in close and grinning too wide.

it's not the same, exactly. they're both comfortably into their thirties now. older. more settled. matthew has a house in raleigh, which he never did in edmonton. even leon, uprooted midseason and in a new area, feels older and more stable than he ever did at 22.

they still don't act on it. matthew thinks leon got over it. leon doesn't want to rock the boat. but leon can't stop himself from pushing a little. touching when they don't need to. knees pressed together on the plane.

matthew does realize leon isn't over it somewhere in here. he's not an idiot. he knew what the vibes were back in edmonton, and he knows that leon's hand on his back at the bar isn't platonic. but leon doesn't push, and matthew's careful about these things. and they're winning, winning so much. winning in a way they weren't when they played together before, and it feels incredible.

gonna go big romance here and say this one ends when they win the cup. neither of them's on the ice but they pile off the bench together when the buzzer sounds, and after they've had their turns with the cup -- it feels even better than leon thought it would -- and after the night has finally wound down, leon grabs matthew by the wrist the way he's wanted to since matthew was 20 years old and so transparently trying to make everyone like him.

matthew comes toward him easily, until they're nearly touching, and leon finally, finally kisses him.